EDMONTON — The mayor of Alberta’s capital city is calling for residents to keep their water use to a minimum as the city grapples with the impact of heavy rain and braces for more to come.
Edmonton Mayor Andrew Knack says he’s confident residents will step up to limit showers and baths, delay running the dishwasher and doing laundry to ease pressure on the city’s stormwater system.
He said in the past, Edmontonians answered the call.
“I see no reason why that wouldn’t occur this time around,” he told reporters Monday.
The city issued a water supply alert Sunday evening, including a reminder to ensure sump pumps and downspouts are functioning properly.
Knack said the alert would continue until Monday evening and then be re-evaluated.
Martin Kennedy, speaking for utilities provider Epcor, said they don’t know how long the appeal to conserve water will last, but it probably will continue.
“My money will say that that’s highly likely, given the current state,” he said.
Kennedy said that by next weekend, it’s expected the region will have experienced the rainiest June in the region in more than 100 years, and the stormwater system is near capacity.
He said the risk is that in pockets of the city, there could be more sewer backups.
“The best thing we can do is conserve water for a couple of days.”
The appeal is meant to help deal with immediate pressures on the system and to be prepared for the precipitation yet to come, he added.
“The rainfall has abated this afternoon. Let’s hope it stays that way for a little while,” said Kennedy.
Kennedy said Epcor has responded to more than 600 calls, many of them for flooding and sewer backups.
After days of heavy rainfall in Alberta’s capital and surrounding communities, pressure on stormwater systems meant multiple communities were calling on residents to cut their water use.
Similar alerts were in place for nearby cities and towns, including Stony Plain and Beaumont.
The towns of St. Albert and Stony Plain ended their advisories Monday afternoon.
Tofield and Beaver County, southeast of Edmonton, were under a flood alert Monday.
“Municipal emergency services are at risk of flood and becoming inoperable,” the alert said.
Residents were also advised to prepare to possibly leave at short notice.
The town said on its website that it has opened an emergency evacuation centre at the Tofield Community Hall for residents displaced by flooding.
In Edmonton, Epcor also warned residents living near stormwater ponds to keep a distance as water levels continue to rise.
“These ponds are doing their most important job right now, collecting excess rainwater, slowing its entry into the system and improving the quality of water that will eventually enter the North Saskatchewan River,” it said.
Chloe Katsademas, a meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada, said 104 millimetres of rain fell in the city over three days.
She said more showers were expected Monday evening, with a risk of a thunderstorm.
So far this month, Edmonton has had 199 millimetres of rainfall, close to the record set for June in 1914 with 216.5 millimetres, Katsademas said.
“So we are still in second place, but the month isn’t over,” she said.
The weather is expected to improve but more rain is in the forecast later this week.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 22, 2026.
— with files from Daniela Germano
Lisa Johnson, The Canadian Press
